Disabling control for an electronic smoking device

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for controlling disabling of an electronic smoking device. An electronic smoking device includes a body through which a flow path at least partially extends, an air inlet in the body that is fluidly connected to the flow path, a liquid compartment for storing a liquid within the body, a vaporizer positioned in the body and configured to receive liquid from the liquid compartment and air from the flow path to generate vaporized liquid, an outlet in the body configured to receive vaporized liquid from the vaporizer, and circuitry connected to the vaporizer. In one embodiment, the circuitry is configured to shut off the electronic smoking device based on activation time of the vaporizer. In another embodiment, the circuitry is configured to shut off the electronic smoking device after a determined amount of usage has occurred.

CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.15/876,959, filed Jan. 22, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/529,963, filed Oct. 31, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No.9,907,337, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/099,266, filed May 2, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,439,455, which claimsthe benefit of U.S. provisional Application No. 61/330,140, filed Apr.30, 2010, all are hereby incorporated by reference as though fully setforth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 1. Field of the Disclosure

This disclosure is directed to an electronic smoking device, andparticularly to an electronic smoking device and an associated pack withenhanced features and functionalities for use therewith.

2. Related Art

Electronic cigarettes are a popular alternative to traditional tobaccobased cigarettes that must be burned in order to generate smoke forinhalation. Electronic cigarettes provide a vapor for inhalation, but donot contain certain byproducts of combustion that may be harmful tohuman health. However, electronic cigarettes are a relatively newinvention and current systems do not deliver the same “quality” ofexperience as traditional cigarettes. For example, electronic cigaretteshave relatively slow rate of vaporization and this tends to produce aninconsistent quality of vapor. This may be due to the use of a wick thattransports liquid from a disposable cartridge to the vaporizing element.The “wicking” method of fluid transport is a relatively slow method andtherefore limits the rate at which the user can smoke the cigarette.Additionally, the wick limits the ability to control and monitor theamount of nicotine delivered to the user. Finally, the wick constructionis more difficult to assemble and automate manufacturing, has limitedquality, and may be contaminated.

Additionally, the user interface of early generation electroniccigarettes do not provide clear and intuitive information to the user.For example, while traditional cigarettes provide a visual indicationwhen the smoking product has been exhausted, electronic cigarettes donot provide a similar clear indication.

Some users chose to smoke electronic cigarettes as part of a smokingcessation program. However, it is often difficult for the user todetermine the exact amount of the product being consumed and thusdifficult to measure the progress of such a cessation program.Accordingly, there is a need for an improved electronic cigarette.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to an aspect of the disclosure, an electronic smoking deviceincludes a body through which a flow path at least partially extends, anair inlet in the body that is fluidly connected to the flow path, aliquid compartment for storing a liquid within the body, a vaporizerpositioned in the body and configured to receive liquid from the liquidcompartment and air from the flow path to generate vaporized liquid, anoutlet in the body configured to receive vaporized liquid from thevaporizer, and circuitry connected to the vaporizer, the circuitryconfigured to shut off the electronic smoking device based on activationtime of the vaporizer.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method of preventingusage of an electronic smoking device comprises determining how long avaporizer has been activated, activating the vaporizer if the vaporizerhas been activated an amount of time less than a predetermined timelimit, and preventing usage of the electronic smoking device if theamount of time is equal to or greater than the predetermined time limit.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, an electronic smokingdevice comprises a housing, a liquid compartment for storing a liquidwithin the housing, a vaporizer positioned in the housing and configuredto receive liquid from the liquid compartment, and circuitry connectedto the vaporizer, the circuitry configured to shut off the electronicsmoking device after a determined amount of usage has occurred.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method of disabling anelectronic smoking device comprises reading the status of a sensor, ifthe sensor is active, determining how long a heater has been active overa product life of the electronic smoking device to determine aCumulative On Time, comparing the Cumulative On Time to a Total Timerepresenting a maximum Cumulative On Time for the product life,activating the vaporizer if the Cumulative On Time is less than theTotal Time, disabling the electronic smoking device if the Cumulative OnTime is equal to or greater than the Total Time, and if the sensor isinactive, continuing to read the status of the sensor.

Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the disclosure maybe set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detaileddescription, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood thatboth the foregoing summary of the disclosure and the following detaileddescription are exemplary and intended to provide further explanationwithout limiting the scope of the disclosure as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure andtogether with the detailed description serve to explain the principlesof the disclosure. No attempt is made to show structural details of thedisclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamentalunderstanding of the disclosure and the various ways in which it may bepracticed. In the drawings:

FIG. 1A shows a structural overview of an electronic smoking deviceconstructed according to the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1B shows a schematic overview of another aspect of the electronicsmoking device constructed according to the principles of thedisclosure.

FIG. 2A shows a cross-section view of an exemplary design of theelectronic smoking devices shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, constructedaccording to the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 2B shows an exploded view of the electronic smoking device shown inFIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 shows a partial perspective view of an air flow path, acontainer, a housing and a micromesh screen of the electronic smokingdevice shown in FIG. 2A, constructed according to the principles of thedisclosure.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the micromesh screen shown in FIG. 3,constructed according to the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a solid state heater of theelectronic smoking device shown in FIG. 2A, constructed according to theprinciples of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows the solid state heater shown in FIG. 5 arranged inassociation with the micromesh screen shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7A shows a perspective view of a pack for the electronic smokingdevice, constructed according to the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 7B shows a perspective view of another pack for electronic smokingdevice, constructed according to the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 7C shows a bottom perspective view of the pack shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic overview of the pack shown in FIG. 7,constructed according to the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 shows a conceptual overview of a system for exchanging data overvarious communication channels using the pack shown in FIG. 7,constructed according to the principles of the disclosure.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a schematic of a sensor for the electronic smokingdevice constructed according to the principles of the disclosure.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show a schematic of another sensor for the electronicsmoking device constructed according to the principles of thedisclosure.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show a schematic of yet another sensor for theelectronic smoking device constructed according to the principles of thedisclosure.

FIGS. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 show flowcharts of various processes forcarrying several advanced functionalities in an electronic smokingdevice according to the principles of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The embodiments of the disclosure and the various features andadvantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference tothe non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/orillustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the followingdescription. It should be noted that the features illustrated in thedrawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of oneembodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisanwould recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions ofwell-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as tonot unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the disclosure. Theexamples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understandingof ways in which the disclosure may be practiced and to further enablethose of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the disclosure.Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construedas limiting the scope of the disclosure, which is defined solely by theappended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is noted that likereference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several viewsof the drawings.

FIG. 1A shows a structural overview of an electronic smoking device(ESD) 100 constructed according to the principles of the disclosure. TheESD 100 may be disposable or reusable. The ESD 100 may have a multi-bodyconstruction including two or more bodies. For example, the ESD 100 maybe a reusable ESD including a first body 100A and a second body 100Band/or the like, that may be easily connected to and disconnected fromeach other anytime without using any special tools. For example, eachbody may include threaded parts. Each body may be covered by a differenthousing. The second body 100B may contain consumable material, such as,e.g., smoking liquid and/or the like. When the consumable material isfully consumed, the second body 100B may be disconnected from the firstbody 100A and replaced with a new one. Also, the second body 100B may bereplaced with another one with a different flavor, strength, type and/orthe like. Alternatively, the ESD 100 may have a single bodyconstruction, as shown in FIG. 2A. Regardless of the construction type,the ESD 100 may have an elongated shape with a first end 102 and asecond end 104, as shown in FIG. 2A, which may be similar to aconventional cigarette shape. Other non-conventional cigarette shapesare also contemplated. For example, the ESD 100 may have a smoking pipeshape or the like.

The ESD 100 may include an air inlet 120, an air flow path 122, avaporizing chamber 124, a smoke outlet 126, a power supply unit 130, asensor 132, a container 140, a dispensing control device 141, a heater146, and/or the like. Further, the ESD 100 may include a controller,such as, e.g., microcontroller, microprocessor, a custom analog circuit,an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logicdevice (PLD) (e.g., field programmable gate array (FPGA) and the like)and/or the like and basic digital and analog circuit equivalentsthereof, which is explained below in detail with reference to FIG. 1B.The air inlet 120 may extend from, for example, are exterior surface ofthe housing 110 as shown in FIG. 2A. The air flow path 122 may beconnected to the air inlet 120 and extending to the vaporizing chamber124. The smoke outlet 126 may be connected to the vaporizing chamber124. The smoke outlet 126 may be formed at the second end 104 of the ESD100 and connected to the vaporizing chamber 124. When a user sucks thesecond end 104 of the ESD 100, air outside the air inlet 120 may bepulled in and moved to the vaporizing chamber 124 via the air flow path122, as indicated by the dotted arrows in FIG. 1. The heater 146 may bea solid state heater shown in FIG. 5 or the like, and located in thevaporizing chamber 124. The container 140 may contain the smoking liquidand connected to the vaporizing chamber 124. The container 140 may havean opening connected to the vaporizing chamber 124. The container 140may be a single container or a group of containers, such as, e.g.,containers 140A, 140B and the like, that are connected to or separatedfrom each other.

The dispensing control device 141 may be connected to the container 140in order to control flow of the smoking liquid from the container 140 tothe vaporizing chamber 124. When the user is not smoking the ESD 100,the dispensing control device 141 may not dispense the smoking liquidfrom the container 140, which is described below in detail withreference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The dispensing control device 141 may notneed any electric power from, for example, the power supply unit 130and/or the like, for operation.

In one aspect, the dispensing control device 141 may be a micro liquidscreen 141, such as, e.g., micro-etched screen, micromesh screen and thelike. As shown in FIG. 4, the micro liquid screen 141 may have a microaperture pattern 141′, which may keep the smoking liquid from seepingout therethrough by a surface tension and/or the like when the ESD 100is not being used or when an air flow within the vaporizing chamber 124is minimal. When an external force is applied, the smoking liquid mayflow through the micro liquid screen 141. For example, when the usersucks the second end 104 of the ESD 100, an air flow may be formed inthe vaporizing chamber 124 from the air flow path 122 to the smokeoutlet 126, which may temporarily break the surface tension of thesmoking liquid formed at the micro aperture pattern 141′ of the microliquid screen 141. When the air flow is discontinued, the surfacetension may be reestablished at the micro aperture pattern 141′ of themicro liquid screen 141, and the smoking liquid may stop being drawntherethrough. The micro liquid screen 141 may have a circular shape witha diameter larger than that of the container 140. One side of the microliquid screen 141 may face an opening of the container 140 and the airflow path 122, and the other side may face the vaporizing chamber 124and the heater 141.

The micro liquid screen 141 may be a passive device that does notrequire electric power and a control signal. Other passive or activefiltering/screening devices are also contemplated for the dispensingcontrol device 141. For example, the dispensing control device may be asemi-active dispensing device, such as, e.g., electro-permeable membraneor the like, which does not allow a liquid to flow therethrough unlessan electrical field is applied thereto. Alternatively or additionally,an active dispensing device 142 may be connected to the container 140 inorder to consistently dispense substantially the same amount of smokingliquid to the vaporizing chamber 124 each time. As shown in FIG. 6 thedispensing control device 141 and the heater 146 may be located adjacentto each other a very small gap therebetween, in order to efficientlyvaporize the smoking liquid.

The power supply unit 130 may be connected to one or more componentsthat require electric power, such as, e.g., the sensor 132, the activedispensing device 142, the heater 146, and the like, via a power bus160. The power supply unit 130 may include a battery (not shown), suchas, e.g., a rechargeable battery, a disposable battery and/or the like.The power unit 130 may further include a power control logic (not shown)for carrying out charging of the battery, detecting the battery chargestatus, performing power save operations and/or the like. The powersupply unit 130 may include a non-contact inductive recharging systemsuch that the ESD 100 may be charged without being physically connectedto an external power source. A contact charging system is alsocontemplated.

The sensor 132 may be configured to detect the user's action forsmoking, such as, e.g., sucking of the second end 104 of the ESD 100,touching of a specific area of the ESD 100 and/or the like. When theuser's action for smoking is detected, the sensor 132 may send a signalto other components via a data bus 144. For example, the sensor 132 maysend a signal to turn on the heater 146. Also, the sensor 132 may send asignal to the active dispensing device 142 (if utilized) to dispense apredetermined amount of the smoking liquid to the vaporizing chamber124. When the smoking liquid is dispensed from the container 140 and theheater 146 is turned on, the smoking liquid may be mixed with the airfrom the flow path 122 and vaporized by the heat from the heater 146within the vaporizing chamber 124. The resultant vapor (La, smoke) maybe pulled out from the vaporizing chamber 144 via the smoke outlet 126for the user's oral inhalation, as indicated by solid arrows in FIG. 1.In order to prevent the smoke generated in the vaporizing chamber 144from flowing towards the air inlet 120, the air flow path 122 mayinclude a backflow prevention screen or filter 138.

When the user's action for smoking is stopped, the sensor 132 may sendanother signal to turn off the heater 146, the active dispensing device142, and/or the like, and vaporization and/or dispensing of the smokingliquid may stop immediately. In an alternative embodiment, the sensor132 may be connected only to the power supply unit 130. When the user'saction for smoking is detected, the sensor 132 may send a signal to thepower supply unit 130. In response to the signal, the power supply unit130 may turn on other components, such as, e.g., the heater 146 and thelike, to vaporize the smoking liquid.

In an embodiment, the sensor 132 may be an air flow sensor. For example,the sensor 132 may be connected to the air inlet 120, the air flow path122, and/or the like, as shown in FIG. 1. When the user sucks the secondend 104 of the ESD 100, some of the air pulled in from the air inlet 120may be moved towards the sensor 132, which may be detected by the sensor132. Additionally or alternatively, a capacitive sensor 148 may be usedto detect the user's touching of a specific area of the housing 100. Forexample, the capacitive sensor 148 may be formed at the second end 104of the ESD 100. When the ESD 100 is moved to the user's mouth and theuser's lip touches the second end 104, a change in capacitance may bedetected by the capacitive sensor 148, and the capacitive sensor 148 maysend a signal to activate the heater 146 and the like. Other types ofsensors are also contemplated for detecting the user's action forsmoking, including, for example, an acoustic sensor, a pressure sensor,a touch sensor, an optical sensor, a Hall Effect sensor, anelectromagnetic field sensor, and/or the like.

The ESD 100 may further include a communication unit 136 for wired(e.g., SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) or the like) and/or wirelesscommunications with other devices, such as, e.g., a pack 200 (shown inFIG. 7) for the ESD 100, a computer 310 (shown in FIG. 9) and/or thelike. The communication unit 136 may also connect the ESD 100 to a wirednetwork (e.g., LAN, WAN, Internet, Intranet and/or the like) and/or awireless network (e.g., a WIFI network, a Bluetooth network, a cellulardata network and/or the like). For example, the communication unit 136may send usage data, system diagnostics data, system error data, and/orthe like to the pack 200, the computer 320, and/or the like. Toestablish wireless communication, the communication unit 136 may includean antenna and/or the like. The ESD 100 may include a terminal 162 forwired communication. The terminal 162 may be connected to anotherterminal, such as, e.g., a cigarette connector 216 (shown in FIG. 8) ofthe pack 200 or the like, in order to exchange data. The terminal 140may also be used to receive power from the pack 200 or other externalpower source and recharge the battery in the power supply unit 130.

When the ESD 100 has a multi-body construction, the ESD 100 may includetwo or more terminals 162 to establish power and/or data connectiontherebetween. For example, in FIG. 1, the first body 100A may include afirst terminal 162A and the second body 1003 may include a secondterminal 162B. The first terminal 162A may be connected to a first powerbus 160A and a first data bus 144A. The second terminal 1623 may beconnected to a second power bus 160B and a second data bus 144B. Whenthe first and second bodies 100A and 1003 are connected to each other,the first and second terminals 162A and 1623 may be connected to eachother. Also, the first power bus 160A and the first data bus 144A areconnected to the second power bus 160B and the second data bus 1443,respectively. To charge the battery in the power supply unit 130,exchange data and/or the like, the first body 100A may be disconnectedfrom the second body 1003 and connected to the pack 200 or the like,which may, in turn, connect the first terminal 162A to the cigaretteconnector 216 of the pack 200 or the like. Alternatively, a separateterminal (not shown) may be provided to the ESD 100 for charging and/orwired communications with an external device.

The ESD 100 may further include one or more user interface devices, suchas, e.g., an LED unit 134, a sound generator (not shown), a vibratingmotor (not shown), and/or the like. The LED unit 134 may be connected tothe power supply unit 130 via the power bus 160A and the data bus 144A,respectively. The LED unit 134 may provide a visual indication when theESD 100 is operating. Additionally, when there is an issue and/orproblem within the ESD 100, the integrated sensor/controller circuit 132may control the LED unit 134 to generate a different visual indication.For example, when the container 140 is almost empty or the batterycharge level is low, the LED unit 134 may blink in a certain pattern(e.g., blinking with longer intervals for thirty seconds). When theheater 146 is malfunctioning, the heater 146 may be disabled and controlthe LED unit 134 may blink in a different pattern (e.g., blinking withshorter intervals for one minute). Other user interface devices may beused to show a text, image, and/or the like, and/or generate a sound, avibration, and/or the like.

In the ESD 100 shown in FIG. 1A, the sensor 132 alone may not be able tocontrol the user interface devices, the communication unit 136, thesensors 132 and 148 and/or the like. Furthermore, it may not be possibleto carry out more complex and sophisticated operations with the sensor132 alone. Thus, as noted above, a controller, such as, e.g.,microcontroller, microprocessor, a custom analog circuit, anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logicdevice (PLD) (e.g., field programmable gate array (FPGA) and the like)and/or the like and basic digital and analog circuit equivalentsthereof, may be included the ESD 100. For example, FIG. 13 shows astructural overview of another ESD 100′ constructed according to theprinciples of the disclosure. The ESD 100′ may include a controller 170,a signal generator 172, a signal to power converter 174, a voltagesensor 176, a current sensor 178, a memory 180, and/or the like.Further, the ESD 100′ may include a power interface 130A′, acharge/discharge protection circuit 1303′, a battery 130C′, one or moresensors (e.g., sensor 132A, sensor 132B and/or the like), a userinterface 134′, a communication interface 136′, a heater 146′ and/or thelike, which may be similar to the components of the ESD 100 shown inFIG. 1A. Two or more components may be integrated as a single chip, alogic module, a PCB, or the like, to reduce size and manufacturing costsand simplify the manufacturing process. For example, the controller 170and a sensor 132A may be integrated as a single semiconductor chip.

The controller 170 may perform various operations, such as, e.g., heatercalibration, heating parameter adjustment/control, dosage control, dataprocessing, wired/wireless communications, more comprehensive userinteraction, and/or the like. The memory 180 may store instructionsexecuted by the controller 170 to operate the ESD 100′ and carry outvarious basic and advanced operations. Further, the memory 180 may storedata collected by the controller 170, such as, e.g., usage data,reference data, diagnostics data, error data, and/or the like. Thecharge/discharge protection circuit 130B′ may be provided to protect thebattery 130C′ from being overcharged, overly discharged, damaged by anexcessive power and/or the like. Electric power received by the powerinterface 130A′ may be provided to the battery 130C′ via thecharge/discharge protection circuit 130B′. Alternatively, the controller170 may perform the charge/discharge protection operation when thecharge/discharge protection circuit 130B′ is not available. In thiscase, the electric power received by the power interface 130A′ may beprovided to the battery 130C′ via the controller 170.

The signal generator 172 may be connected to the controller 170, thebattery 130C′ and/or the like, and may configured to generate a powercontrol signal, such as, e.g., a current level signal, a voltage levelsignal, a pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal and the like, to controlthe power supplied to the heater 146′. Alternatively, the power controlsignal may be generated by the controller 170. The converter 174 may beconnected to the signal generator 172 or the controller 170 to convertthe power control signal from the signal generator 172 to an electricalpower provided to the heater 146. With this configuration, the powerfrom the battery 130C′ may be transferred to the heater 146′ via thesignal generator 172 or via the signal generator 172 and the converter174. Alternatively, the power from the battery 130C′ may be transferredto the signal generator 172 via the controller 170 and transferred tothe heater 146 directly or via the signal to power converter 174.

The voltage sensor 176 and the current sensor 178 may be provided todetect an internal voltage and current of the heater 146′, respectively,for heater calibration, heating parameter control and/or the like. Forexample, each heater 146 may have a slightly different heatingtemperature, which may be caused by a small deviation in resistance. Toproduce a more consistent unit-to-unit heating temperature, theintegrated sensor/controller circuit 132 may measure a resistance of theheater 146 and adjust heating parameters (e.g., an input current level,heating duration, voltage level, and/or the like) accordingly. Also, theheating temperature of the heater 146 may change while the heater 146 isturned on. The integrated sensor 132/controller 170 circuit may monitora change in resistance while the heater 146 is turned on and adjust thecurrent level in a real-time basis to maintain the heating temperatureat substantially the same level. Further, the integrated sensor132/controller circuit 170 may monitor whether or not the heater 146 isoverheating and/or malfunctioning, and disable the heater 146 for safetypurposes when the heating temperature is higher than a predeterminedtemperature range and/or the heater 146 or other component ismalfunctioning.

For example, FIGS. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 show various processes forcarrying out advanced functionalities in the ESD 100 or ESD 100′according to the principles of the disclosure. FIG. 16 shows a flowchartfor a process 1600 for heater characterization based heat controlrefinement according to the principles of the disclosure. Upon startingthe process 1600 (at 1610), TIME may be set to zero (0) (at 1620). Whenthe sensor 132 (i.e., air flow sensor) is not on (NO at 1630), theprocess 1600 may move back to set TIME to zero (0) (at 1620). When thesensor is on (YES at 1630), the controller 170 may read an air flow rate(at 1640). Then the controller 170 may look up a characterizationformula (e.g., one or more time versus temperature curves or the like)or table (e.g., lookup table or the like) based on at least one of theair flow rate and the time in order to obtain COMMAND VALUE, which is avalue that the controller 170 determines to be for the ter 146 at anymoment in time (at 1650). The COMMAND VALUE may then be applied to theheater 146, and the heater 146 generates heat based on the COMMAND VALUE(at 1660). The controller 170 may then wait for a time period TIME STEP(e.g., 1 second) (at 1670), which defines a time interval between theair flow rate reading (at 1640) and the TIME STEP is added to thecurrent TIME (at 1680) and the process 1600 may move back to checkingwhether the sensor 132 is on or not (at 1630).

FIG. 17 shows a flowchart for process 1700 for heater self-calibrationcontrol according to the principles of the disclosure. Upon starting theprocess 1700 (at 1710), REFERENCE COMMAND may be applied to the heater146. The REFERENCE COMMAND may be a heater command value established bythe manufacturer to test a resistance of the heater 146. Then thevoltage sensor 176 may read the internal voltage (i.e., HEATER VOLTAGE)of the heater 146 (at 1730). The HEATER VOLTAGE may be then compared toREFERENCE VOLTAGE, which may be a normal voltage drop expected to bemeasured across the heater 146 based on the characterization of theheater wire at the manufacturer. When the HEATER VOLTAGE is greater thanthe REFERENCE VOLTAGE (YES at 1740), the value of the HEATER VOLTAGEdivided by the REFERENCE VOLTAGE may be set as COMPENSATION FACTOR (at1750), which may be a value, by which future heater commands may bemultiplied for the purpose of compensating for inconsistency of theheater resistance value among the heaters. The COMPENSATION FACTOR maybe initially set to one (1). When the HEATER VOLTAGE is the smaller thanthe REFERENCE VOLTAGE (NO at 1740, YES at 1760), the value of the HEATERVOLTAGE divided by the REFERENCE VOLTAGE may be set as the COMPENSATIONFACTOR (at 1770). When the HEATER VOLTAGE is not greater than theREFERENCE VOLTAGE (NO at 1740) and not smaller than the REFERENCEVOLTAGE (NO at 1760), there may be no change in the COMPENSATION FACTORand the process 1700 may terminate (at 1780).

FIG. 18 shows a flowchart for a process 1800 for current monitoringbased heater control according to the principles of the disclosure. Uponstarting the process (at 1810), TARGET COMMAND may be set as COMMANDVALUE (at 1820). The TARGET COMMAND may be a constant that sets a targetheat command for the heater 146 typically based on characterizations ofthe heater wire at the manufacturer. The COMMAND VALUE may be a valuethat the controller 170 may send to the heater 146. The COMMAND VALUEmay be a value that the controller 170 believes the heater commandshould be at any moment in time. When the sensor 132 (e.g., inhalationsensor) is turned off (NO at 1830), the process 1800 may move back tostep 1820. When the sensor 132 is turned on (YES at 1830), a heatercontrol signal may be generated based on the COMMAND VALUE (at 1840) andthe current sensor 178 may read an internal current of the heater 146(at 1850) and store it as SENSOR CURRENT. Then, the SENSOR CURRENT maybe compared to the TARGET COMMAND (at 1860, 1870). WHEN the SENSORCURRENT is greater than the TARGET COMMAND (YES at 1860), an absolutevalue of COMMAND VALUE−(COMMAND VALUE−TARGET COMMAND) may be set as anew COMMAND VALUE (at 1865) and the process 1800 may move to step 1830.When the SENSOR CURRENT is smaller than the TARGET COMMAND (NO at 1860,YES at 1870), an absolute value of COMMAND VALUE+(COMMAND VALUE−TARGETCOMMAND) may be set as the new COMMAND VALUE (at 1875) and the process1800 may move to step 1830. When the SENSOR CURRENT is not greater thanand not smaller than the TARGET COMMAND (NO at 1860, NO at 1870), nochange may be made to the COMMAND VALUE and the process 1800 may move tostep 1830.

FIG. 19 shows a flowchart for a process 1900 for limiting smoking liquiddeterioration and contamination after the first use according to theprinciples of the disclosure. Upon starting the process 1900 (at 1910),the controller may read the sensor 132 (at 1920) to check whether thesensor 132 is on or not. When the sensor 132 is not on (NO at 1930), theprocess 1900 may move back to read the sensor 132 (at 1920). When thesensor 132 is on (YES at 1930), the controller 170 may wait for apredetermined period of time TIME STEP (at 1940) and incrementCUMULATIVE TIME by the TIME STEP (at 1950). The CUMULATIVE TIME may be acount value that indicates a total period of time since the heater 146was first activated during the life of the ESD 100′. Then the CUMULATIVETIME may be compared to TOTAL TIME LIMIT, which is a constant that setsan upper limit for the total period of time that may elapse between afirst use and a last use of the ESD 100′. When the CUMULATIVE TIME hasnot reached the TOTAL TIME LIMIT (NO at 1960), and the process 1900 maymove back to step 1940. When the CUMULATIVE TIME has reached the TOTALTIME LIMIT (YES at 1960), the ESD 100′ may be disabled permanently (at1970), and the process 1900 may terminate at 1980.

FIG. 20 shows a flowchart of a process 2000 for simplified dosage and/orheater control according to the principles of the disclosure. Uponstarting the process 2000, the controller 170 may read the sensor 132(at 2020). When the sensor 132 is not on (NO at 2030), the controller170 may keep reading the sensor 132 (at 2020). When the sensor 132 is on(YES at 2030), the controller 170 may compare HEATER ON TIME and RECENTTIME. The HEATER ON TIME may indicate a period of time the heater 146has been turned on since the last time the heater 146 has been turnedoff. The RECENT TIME may be a constant that sets a limit for the timeperiod the heater 146 may stay turned on during any given period oftime, thereby establishing a limit for the dosage per unit time that maybe delivered. When the HEATER ON TIME is greater than the RECENT TIME(YES at 2040), the process 2000 may move to reading the sensor 132 (at2020). When the HEATER ON TIME is smaller than the RECENT TIME (NO at2040), a CUMULATIVE ON TIME may be compared to TOTAL TIME (at 2050). THECUMULATIVE ON TIME may be a count value that indicates the total timethe heater has been turned on during the produce life of the ESD 100′.The TOTAL TIME may be a constant that sets a total period of time theheater 146 may stay turned on the product life of the ESD 100′. When theCUMULATIVE ON TIME has not reached the TOTAL TIME (NO at 2050), theheater 146 may be turned on (at 2055) and the process 2000 may move backto step 2020. When the CUMULATIVE ON TIME has reached the TOTAL TIME(YES at 2050), the ESD 100′ may be permanently disabled (at 2060), andthe process 2000 may terminate (at 2070).

FIG. 21 shows a flowchart of a process 2100 for stuck sensor checking,heater temperature control, and forced system halting according to theprinciples of the disclosure. Upon starting the process 2110, thecontroller 170 may initialize both a stuck sensor value STUCK SENSOR anda sensor state SENSOR STATE by indicating them as false values (at2112), and read an input of the sensor 132 (at 2114). When the SENSORSTATE is positive (YES at 2120), the controller 170 may set the SENSORSTATE as a true value, increment a stuck counter value STUCK COUNTER bythe factor of one (1) (at 2124). When the STUCK COUNTER is equal to orlarger than a stuck counter limit value STUCK COUNTER LIMIT (YES at2130), the controller 170 may set the STUCK SENSOR as a true value (at2132). When the STUCK COUNTER is not equal to or larger than the STUCKCOUNTER LIMIT (NO at 2130), the controller 170 may set the STUCK SENSORas a false value (at 2134). When the SENSOR STATE is negative (NO at2120), the controller 170 may set the SENSOR STATE as a false value (at2126), initialize the STUCK COUNT to zero (0) (at 2128), which maycomplete stuck sensor checking.

After setting the STUCK SENSOR as a true value (at 2132), the controller170 may turn off the heater 146 (at 2152). Alternatively, after settingthe STUCK SENSOR as a false value (at 2134), the controller 170 maycheck whether or not the sensor 132 is on (at 2140). When the sensor 132is on (YES at 2140), a value of TIME STEP multiplied by RISE RATE may beadded to a running average value RUNNING AVERAGE (at 2142). When thesensor 132 is not on (NO at 2140), the value of TIME STEP multiplied byRISE RATE may be subtracted from the RUNNING AVERAGE (at 2144). Then,the controller 170 may check whether or not the sensor 132 is on (at2150). When the sensor 132 is not on (NO at 2150), the controller 170may turn off the heater 146 (at 2152) and wait for the TIME STEP (at2170), and the process 2100 may move back to read the sensor input (at2114). When the sensor 132 is on (YES at 2150), the controller 170 maycheck whether the RUNNING AVERAGE is equal to or larger than a heat timelimit value HEAT TIME LIMIT (at 2160). When the RUNNING AVERAGE is notequal to or larger than the HEAT TIME LIMIT (NO at 2160), the controller170 may turn on the heater 146 and the process 2100 may move to step2170. When the RUNNING AVERAGE is equal to or larger than the HEAT TIMELIMIT (YES at 2160), the controller 170 may turn off the heater 146 (at2164) and forcefully halt the ESD 100″ for a period FORCE OFF TIME (at2166). Then, the value of the FALSE OFF TIME multiplied by the FALL RATEmay be subtracted from the RUNNING AVERAGE (at 2168) and the process2100 may move to step 2170. Accordingly, the controller 170 may executethis process to avoid issues of the sensor being stuck and control thetemperature of the heater 146.

FIG. 2A shows a cross-section view of an exemplary design of the ESD 100shown in FIG. 1, constructed according to the principles of thedisclosure. FIG. 2B shows an exploded view of the ESD 100 shown in FIG.2A. As noted above, the ESD 100 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B may a singlebody construction and covered by a single housing 110 such that the ESD100 may not be accidentally disassembled or broken into pieces. Further,the single body construction may be easier and less costly to design andmanufacture. Thus, the single body construction may be more suitable fora disposable ESD.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B concurrently, the housing 100 may have anelongated tubular shape with the LED unit 134 formed at the first end102 and the smoke outlet 126 formed at the second end 104. The air inlet120 may extend inwardly from the housing 110 and may be connected to theair flow path 122. The ESD 100 may further include a wall structure 131in order to completely separate a compartment that contains the battery130 from the air inlet 120, the air flow path 122, the container 140and/or the like such that components in each section may be safelysealed off from each other and functions of the components may beisolated from each other. The smoke outlet 126 may be formed at a tipend piece 150. The heater 146 may be fixed by pushing the tip end piece150 into an opening of the housing 110 at the second end 104.

In one aspect, the container 140 may surround the air flow path 122.More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the container 140 may have anelongated tubular shape and surrounded by the housing 110. The air flowpath 122 may extend along the center of the container 140. The air flowpath 122 may also have an elongated tubular shape with a smallerdiameter. The housing 110, the container 140 and the air flow path 122may be concentric. As noted above, the air flow path 122 may beconnected to the air inlet 120 at one end and the other end may beconnected to the vaporizing chamber 124. The container 140 may alsoconnected to the vaporizing chamber 124. In order to control dispensingof the smoking liquid from the container 140 to the vaporizing chamber124, the dispensing control device 141 may be formed between thecontainer 140 and the vaporizing chamber 124.

FIG. 7A shows a perspective view of the pack 200 for an ESD, constructedaccording to the principles of the disclosure. The pack 200 may have aconventional cigarette pack shape but other shapes are alsocontemplated. FIG. 7B shows a perspective view of another pack 200′ andFIG. 7C shows a bottom perspective view of the pack 200′ shown in FIG.7B. FIG. 8 shows a structural overview of the pack 200 of FIG. 7A andthe pack 200′ of FIGS. 7B and 7C, constructed according to theprinciples of the disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C and 8concurrently, the pack 200 may include a main body 202, a lid 204, oneor more user interface devices (e.g., an indication light 206 (in FIG.7A), 206A and 206B (in FIG. 7B), a switch 208, a vibration motor 234(shown in FIG. 8), a further display (not shown), a sound device (notshown) and/or the like), one or more connectors (e.g., a cigaretteconnector 216, a power connector 222, a data connector 224 and/or thelike) and/or the like. The pack 200 may further include a controller210, a memory 212, a communication processor 214, an antenna 218, abattery 220, a lid switch 232, a lid switch plunger 232′, and/or thelike. The lid switch plunger 232′ may be connected to the lid switch 232and configured to detecting opening and closing of the lid 204.

As noted above, the cigarette connector 216 may be connected to theterminal 162 of the ESD 100 to charge the battery in the power supplyunit 130, exchange data with the integrated sensor/controller circuit132 and/or the like. The terminal 162 and the cigarette connector 216may be connected by a threaded type connection. Other connection typesare also contemplated, including, such as, e.g., a non-threaded typeconnection, a stationary connection, a push-in (pressing) connection,and/or the like. The power connector 222 may be connected to an externalpower source (USB, transformer, or the like) to charge the battery 220.Additionally or alternatively, the pack 200 may include a non-contactinductive recharging system such that the pack 200 may be chargedwithout being physically connected to any external power source. Thebattery 220 and the battery 130 in ESD 100 may be charged at differentvoltages. Thus, the pack 200 may include multiple internal voltage nets(not shown). The data connector 224 may be connected to, for example,the user's computer 310 (shown in FIG. 9) and/or the like to exchangedata between the pack 200 and the computer 310. The power connector 222and the data connector 224 may be combined. For example, the pack 200″may include a USB connector 221 (shown in FIG. 7C), a FireWire connectorand/or the like, that may function as both the power connector 222 andthe data connector 224.

The controller 210 may be configured to control overall operations ofthe pack 200 including one or more components noted above. For example,the controller 210 may carry out a power saving scheme by, for example,entering a power save mode or the like, when the power connector 222 isdisconnected from an external power source and the lid 204 has not beenopened for a predetermined period of time. Opening and closing the lid204 may be detected by the lid switch 232. Also, the controller 210 maydetect the battery charge level of the battery 220 in the pack 200 andthe battery in the ESD 100 when the ESD 100 is connected to the pack200. Further, the controller 210 may operate the user interface devicesto indicate a status of the ESD 100 and the pack 200. For example, thecontroller 210 may operate the LED indicator 206 to blink with longerintervals when the ESD 100 is connected to the cigarette connector 216and being charged by the battery 220 or an external power source. Whenthere is a problem with the ESD 100 or the pack 200, the controller 210may show an alert message or an error message on the display (notshown), generate an alert sound and/or the like. For example, when thecontainer 140 is empty or the battery charge level is low in the ESD100, the controller 210 may show a message on the display, activate thevibration motor 234 and/or the like. Further, when the heater 146 isoverheating or malfunctioning, the controller 210 may control the LEDindicator 206 to blink with shorter intervals, display a heater errormessage on the display, generate an alert sound and/or the like. Inother words, any error detected in the ESD 100 may be transmitted to thepack 200. Further, when the pack 200 is connected to an external device,such as, e.g., computer or the like, an error message may be displayedon the external device.

The communication processor 214 may carry out wired communications viathe data connector 224 and/or wireless communications via the antenna218, which is described below in detail with reference to FIG. 9. Thememory 212 may include instructions to be executed by the controller 210to carry out various operations. The memory 212 may further includeusage information (e.g., smoking liquid level in the container 140, howmany containers 140 have been consumed, amount of nicotine consumed,and/or the like), product information (e.g., model number, serial numberand/or the like), user information (e.g., the user's name, sex, age,address, job, educational background, job, professional background,interests, hobbies, likes and don't-likes and/or the like) and/or thelike. The user information may be received from the user's computer 310via the data connector 224 or wirelessly via the antenna 218 and storedin the memory 212. Alternatively, the user information may be receivedby a social network website, such as, e.g., Facebook™, LinkedIn™,Eharmony™ and/or the like, via the data connector 224 or wirelessly viathe antenna 218.

The data stored in the pack 200 (e.g., the usage information, theproduct information, the information and/or the like) may be shared withother devices and/or entities (e.g., vendors, healthcare serviceproviders, social networks and/or the like). For example, FIG. 9 shows aconceptual overview of a system 300 for exchanging data of the pack 200over various communication channels, constructed according to theprinciples of the disclosure. The system 300 may be a network of aplurality of communication devices, such as, e.g., one or more packs 200(e.g., a first pack 200A owned by a first user 310A, a second pack 200Bowned by a second user 3103 and/or the like), one or more computers 320(e.g., a desktop PC 320A, a laptop PC 320B, a mobile phone (not shown),a personal data assistant (PDA) (not shown), a tablet PC (not shown)and/or the like) and/or the like, that are connected to each other viavarious wired and/or wireless communication channels 360 (e.g., LAN,WAN, Internet, intranet, Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth network, cellularnetwork and/or the like). The user 310 may download and install asoftware application in her or his computers 320 such that the computer320 and the pack 200 may exchange data with each other. Further, an appmay be installed in the user's smartphone, which may be then connectedto the pack 200 directly or via the communication channels 360.

As shown in FIG. 9, the packs 200A and 200B may communicate directlywith each other via the communication processor 214 and the antenna 218.For example, the packs 200A and 200B may exchange the user informationwith each other. When the users 310A and 310B have the same hobby orgraduated from the same school, the controller 210 in each of the packs200A and 2003 may operate the user interface devices to notify thematch. For example, the pack 200A may make a sound and/or show messagethat the user 310B who graduated from the same school is near by theuser 310A on the display. Additionally, a smartphone or a tabletcomputer running the app noted above may be used to interact with otherusers. Accordingly, the packs 200A and 200B may be used for socialnetworking devices.

Further, the packs 200A and 200B may be connected directly to the wiredand/or wireless communication channels 360 or indirectly via thecomputers 320A and 320B, respectively. Based on the usage data, the pack200A may automatically send an order request to the vendor 340 when theuser 310A needs more disposable ESDs or a new supply of the secondbodies 100B. Further, the packs 200B may send usage data to thehealthcare service provider 330, such as, e.g., a physician's office, ahospital and/or the like, such that a physician, a nurse, a hospitalstaff and/or the like may track and analyze nicotine consumption by theuser 310B. The user 310B may also use the usage data to monitor how muchshe or he smokes and check whether she or he has been smoking less ormore for a period time.

Furthermore, the ESD 100 may be susceptible to bacterial growth after acertain period of time. The usage data may be used to determine how longthe ESD 100 has been used and automatically disable the ESD 100 when theESD 100 has been used for a certain period of time and/or severity ofthe usage.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a schematic of a sensor for the electronic smokingdevice constructed according to the principles of the disclosure. Asshown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the sensor may include an emitter (IR orvisible) 1006, detector 1004, rotating disk 1002 with windows, stator1010, and a holder 1012. The disk 1002 may have slanted windows toconvert airflow into rotary thrust. Airflow causes the disk 1002 tospin. The rate of spin corresponds to airflow. The rate of spin may bedetected by frequency of light pulses from the emitter device 1006received by detector 1004. Other embodiments exist where disk has areflective surface. The emitter 1006 and detector 1004 are arranged onthe same side of the disk 1002. The detector 1004 looks for pulses inreflections from the disk surface as the disk 1002 spins. Otherembodiments exists where axis of disk is rotated 90° relative to the airflow, similar to a water wheel.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show a schematic of another sensor for the electronicsmoking device constructed according to the principles of thedisclosure. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a housing 1212 includes astator 1210 and a disk 1202 that may have slanted windows to convertairflow into rotary thrust. Airflow causes disk 1202 to spin. The rateof spin corresponds to airflow. The rate of spin may be detected byfrequency of pulses received by Hall Effect sensor 1206 from magnets1208. Other embodiments exist where capacitive sensing regions orphysical contacts are used instead of Hall Effect sensor 1206 andmagnets 1208. Other embodiments exist where electric field can beapplied to electromagnet (not shown). The electromagnet will prevent thedisk from spinning. This provides the ability to stop airflow if sodesired in order to control dosage.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show a schematic of yet another sensor for theelectronic smoking device constructed according to the principles of thedisclosure. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the sensor includes a housing1402, plunger with holes 1404 to allow airflow, holder 1406, spring1406, an emitter (IR or visible) 1408, a detector 1410, and Windows 1412in the plunger 1404. Airflow causes plunger 1404 to compress the spring1406. The windows 1412 in the plunger 1404 produce “light/no lightcondition that can be read by detector 1410. The number of windowscorresponds to amount of airflow. This configuration may be used foroptical sensors, capacitive sensors, hall-effect sensors and the like.

While the disclosure has been described in terms of exemplaryembodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosurecan be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of theappended claims. These examples given above are merely illustrative andare not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs,embodiments, applications, or modifications of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of preventing usage of an electronicsmoking device, the method comprising the following: determining howlong a vaporizer has been cumulatively activated; activating thevaporizer if the vaporizer has been activated a cumulative amount oftime less than a predetermined total time limit; and permanentlydisabling the electronic smoking device if the cumulative amount of timeis equal to or greater than the predetermined total time limit.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining how long a vaporizerhas been activated; activating the vaporizer if the vaporizer has beenactivated an amount of time less than a predetermined time limit; andpreventing usage the electronic smoking device if the cumulative amountof time is equal to or greater than the predetermined time limit.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein determining how long a vaporizer hascumulatively been activated comprises the following: determining if asensor is active; monitoring a status of the sensor until the sensorbecomes active if the sensor is inactive; and determining an amount oftime the vaporizer has been active since the last time the vaporizer wasactivated if the sensor is active in order to determine the cumulativeamount of time the vaporizer has been active.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein the vaporizer comprises a heater, and the sensor comprises anair flow sensor.
 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising performingperiodic dosage control before activating the vaporizer.
 6. The methodof claim 5, further comprising the following: determining an amount oftime the vaporizer has been active since the last time the vaporizer wasactivated if the sensor is active in order to determine a periodicamount of time the vaporizer has been active; activating the vaporizerif the periodic amount of time is less than a predetermined intervaltime limit; and leaving the vaporizer idle if the periodic amount oftime is equal to or greater than the predetermined interval time limit.7. The method of claim 6, further comprising leaving the vaporizer idleuntil the sensor is activated again at which point the periodic andcumulative amounts of time the vaporizer has been active can bere-determined.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined totaltime limit comprises a constant that sets a total period of time thevaporizer may stay turned on during a product life of the electronicsmoking device.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cumulative amountof time comprises a count value that indicates the total time thevaporizer has been turned on during a product life of the electronicsmoking device.
 10. A method of disabling an electronic smoking device,the method comprising: reading the status of a sensor; if the sensor isactive, determining how long a heater has been active over a productlife of the electronic smoking device to determine a Cumulative On Time;comparing the Cumulative On Time to a Total Time representing a maximumCumulative On Time for the product life; activating the vaporizer if theCumulative On Time is less than the Total Time; disabling the electronicsmoking device if the Cumulative On Time is equal to or greater than theTotal Time; and if the sensor is inactive, continuing to read the statusof the sensor.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprisingestablishing a limit for dosage per unit time before determining howlong the heater has been active over the product life.
 12. The method ofclaim 10, wherein disabling the electronic smoking device comprisespermanently disabling the electronic smoking device.